"Lady in the Lake" production generated more than $100 million for Maryland economy

BALTIMORE -- The production of the miniseries "Lady in the Lake" generated $100 million in Maryland.

The seven-part series , based on a novel by former Baltimore Sun reporter Laura Lippman, stars actresses Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram. It will premiere on Apple+ on July 19.

The "Lady in the Lake" production team started scouting Baltimore in November 2021 and began shooting in May 2022, filming throughout the region for three and a half months.

The production utilized the Maryland Film Production Activity Tax Credit , an incentive of the Maryland Film Office that helps attract productions to film on-location in the state and provides refundable tax credits for certain costs incurred during filming.

Lippman's New York Times bestselling book is inspired by the two real, unrelated disappearances of a white Jewish girl and a Black woman in 1960s Baltimore. Their disappearances are connected by the book's protagonist Maddie Schwartz, who begins investigating.

Esther Lebowitz, an 11-year-old Jewish girl was abducted and murdered, while 33-year-old Shirley Parker, a Black woman, was found dead in the fountain of the Druid Hill Park Reservoir.

Portman plays Schwartz, the housewife who reinvents herself as an investigative journalist. In her journey, Schwartz will collide with Cleo Sherwood (Ingram), a mother who juggles "many jobs and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore's Black progressive agenda," Apple said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the show created more than 1,100 new jobs in Maryland and paid for more than 32,000 hotel room nights.

"Our administration is unafraid to make big bets on the industries we can lead in – and that includes the world of entertainment," Moore said. "By asserting Maryland's leadership in television, we will create jobs, drive growth, and unleash our state's full potential. We're very thankful for Apple's and Fifth Season's investment in Maryland, and we hope to continue this fruitful relationship for years to come."